Nouns
Portuguese nouns are masculine or feminine, and their gender is shown by the words for ‘the’ (o/a) and ‘a’ (um/uma) used before them (articles):
| masculine | feminine | |
| singular | o castelo the castle |
a mesa the table |
| um castelo a castle |
uma mesa a table |
|
| plural | os castelos the castles |
as mesas the tables |
| (uns) castelos (some) castles |
(umas) mesas (some) tables |
Nouns ending in -o or -or are usually masculine. Those ending in -a, -agem, -dade and -tude tend to be feminine. Nouns ending in a vowel form the plural by adding -s, while those ending in a consonant usually add -es. Words ending in -m change to -ns, and words ending in -l, change to -is.
Note: When used after the words a (to), de (of), em (in) and por (by), articles (and many other words) contract:
| a + as = às ash | to the |
| de + um = dum dooñ | of a |
| em + uma = numa noo-muh | to a |
| por + os = pelos peh-loosh | by the |
This, that, these, those…
These depend on the gender and number of the noun they represent:
| este rapaz | esta rapariga |
| this boy | this girl |
| estes rapazes | estas raparigas |
| these boys | these girls |
| esse rapaz | essa rapariga |
| that boy | that girl |
| esses rapazes | essas raparigas |
| those boys | those girls |
| aquele rapaz | aquela rapariga |
| that boy (over there) | that girl (over there) |
| aqueles rapazes | aquelas raparigas |
| those boys (over there) | those girls (over there) |
Portuguese adjectives normally follow the nouns they describe and reflect the gender in e.g. a maçã verde the green apple. The exceptions are bom (good) and grande (great, big) which can go before the noun.
To make an adjective feminine, -o endings change to -a, and -or and -ês change to -ora and -esa. Otherwise they generally have the same form for both genders.
| masculine | feminine | ||
| the red book | o livro vermelho | the red skirt | a saia vermelha |
| the talkative man | o homem falador | the talkative woman | a mulher faladora |
To make adjectives plural, follow the rules given for nouns.
These words depend on the gender and number of the noun and not the sex of the ‘owner’.
| with masc./fem. | with plural nouns | |
| my | o meu/a minha | os meus/as minhas |
| his/her/its/your | o seu/a sua | os seus/as suas |
| our | o nosso/a nossa | os nossos/as nossas |
| your | o vosso/a vossa | os vossos/as vossas |
| their/your | o seu/a sua | os seus/as suas |
Note: Since o seu, a sua, etc. can mean ‘his’, ‘her’, ‘your’, etc., the words dele, dela, deles and delas are often used to avoid confusion:
| os livros dela | her books |
| os livros deles | their books |
| subject | object | ||
| I | eu ay-oo | me | me muh |
| you (informal) | tu too | you (informal) | te teh |
| you | você voh-say | you | o/a oo/uh |
| he | ele ayl | him | o oo |
| she | ela ayluh | her | a uh |
| it | ele/ela ayl/ayluh | it | o/a oo/uh |
| we | nós nosh | us | nos noosh |
| you | vós vosh | you | vos voosh |
| they (masc.) | eles aylush | them (masc.) | os oosh |
| they (fem.) | elas elush | them (fem.) | as ush |
| you (informal) | vocês voh-saysh | you (informal) | os/as oosh/ush |
Notes
1. Use of ‘you’: The polite way of addressing someone would be with o senhor or a senhora, using the (s)he form of the verb and the object pronoun o/a. The semi-formal ‘you’ is você, however some people dislike você and consider it slightly coarse. An alternative semi- formal way of addressing someone is to use the ‘he/she/it’ form of the verb, plus the person’s name, e.g. A Laura vem a Portugal? Are you coming to Portugal, Laura? The the informal ‘you’ is tu (as in French).
2. Subject pronouns are normally not used except for emphasis or to avoid confusion:
eu vou para Lisboa e ele vai para Coimbra
I’m going to Lisbon and he’s going to Coimbra
3. Object pronouns are usually placed after the verb and joined with a hyphen:
| vejo-o | I see him |
However, in sentences beginning with a ‘question’ or ‘negative’ word, the pronoun goes in front of the verb:
| quando o viu? | when did you see him? |
| não o vi | I did not see him |
In phrases beginning with ‘that’, ‘who’, etc. (subordinate clauses), the pronoun also precedes the verb:
| sei que o viu | I know that you saw him |
| o homem que o viu | the man who saw him |
4. Use of ‘me’: me = to me and nos = to us, but lhe = to him/to her/to it/to you (formal), te = to you (informal), vos = to you (plural) and lhes = to them/to you.
Portuguese regular verbs follow one of three patterns of endings. Examples of the present and past tenses are given overleaf.
Present tense
Verbs ending in -ar
| cantar | to sing |
| canto | I sing |
| cantas | you sing |
| canta | (s)he/it sings/you sing |
| cantamos | we sing |
| cantais | you sing |
| cantam | they/you sing |
Verbs ending in -er
| comer | to eat |
| como | I eat |
| comes | you eat |
| come | (s)he/it eats/you eat |
| comemos | we eat |
| comeis | you eat |
| comem | they/you eat |
| partir | to leave |
| parto | I leave |
| partes | you leave |
| parte | (s)he/it leaves/you leave |
| partimos | we leave |
| partis | you leave |
| partem | they/you leave |
Past tense
Verbs ending in -ar
| cantar | to sing |
| cantei | I sang |
| cantaste | you sang |
| cantou | (s)he/it/you sang |
| cantámos | we sang |
| cantastes | you sang |
| cantaram | they/you sang |
| comer | to eat |
| comi | I ate |
| comeste | you ate |
| comeu | (s)he/it/you ate |
| comemos | we ate |
| comestes | you ate |
| comeram | they/you ate |
Verbs ending in -ir
| partir | to leave |
| parti | I left |
| partiste | you left |
| partiu | (s)he/it/you left |
| partimos | we left |
| partistes | you left |
| partiram | they/you left |
Irregular verbs don’t follow a pattern, so you need to learn their endings. Four of the most common verbs are irregular:
| ser | to be |
| sou | I am |
| és | you are |
| é | (s)he/it is/you are |
| somos | we are |
| sois | you are |
| são | they/you are |
| estar | to be |
| estou | I am |
| estás | you are |
| está | (s)he/it is/you are |
| estamos | we are |
| estais | you are |
| estão | they/you are |
| ter | to have |
| tenho | I have |
| tens | you have |
| tem | (s)he/it has/you have |
| temos | we have |
| tendes | you have |
| têm | they/you have |
| ir | to go |
| vou | I go |
| vais | you go |
| vai | (s)he/it goes/you go |
| vamos | we go |
| ides | you go |
| vão | they/you go |
Note: Ser and estar both mean ‘to be’.
Ser is used to describe a permanent place or state:
| sou inglês | I am English |
| é uma praia | it is a beach |
Estar is used to describe a temporary state or where something is located:
| como está? | how are you? |
| onde está o livro? | where is the book? |